I'd like to make some mac n cheese for the trail and probably need to use powdered cheese to make it. I don't care for Annie's and want something with the least amount of chemicals. What are my options? Any brands out there that people favor? Is it possible to make my own?

On the Trail:Combine all ingredients EXCEPT: cheese, milk, and taco powders with water in pot and soak five minutes. Light stove, bring to boil, and place in a cozy for 5 min. Remove from cozy, stir incheese, milk, and taco powders. Place back in to cozy, wait ten minutes.

Make elbow macaroni, then add Parmesan cheese at the end. Parmesan is pretty safe to take in a ziplock. If you dehydrate you can dehydrate the macaroni beforehand and just add boiling water, wait 5 minutes. Otherwise cook pasta as usual (8-10 min). Pour off excess water, if any, then add Parmesan and stir. Milk if you are a Mac&Cheess traditionalist.

I prefer rice based meals (Paella/Risotto) as I think pasta takes up a lot of space in my pack, but other quick-n-easy pasta alternatives are:

Pasta + pesto sauce + parmesanPasta + arrabbiata sauce + parmesan

Both sauces can be made from dehydrated (real) ingredients, no chemicals required.Note: hard cheese survives quite well in the heat. It sometimes 'sweats' but this does not affect its edibility. There is good reason that it has been made/eaten for centuries (i.e. long before refridgerators).

Stuart, thanks. For some reason, rice just doesn't give me the energy that I need the next day. I find my energy is low and I am really hungry. Pasta stays with me. I've used pesto, etc...but I'm tired of that combo and was looking for something a bit more on the cheesy side. I will look at the arrabbiata sauce. I will add other ingrediaents to the dish as well, but sometimes a good mac and cheese hits the spot.

from wiki -"Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. It is an Italian dish of parmesan and pasta and was brought to England in the 14th century."

While "Creamy Comfort Food" from Kraft, may be "expected" by many north american anglos, pasta and real cheese is the standard for the rest of the world.

Putanesca sauce dehydrates well, typical red sauce (i.e. onion, garlic tomato) with chopped Kalamata olives, capers, cayenne pepper (or any other choice of heat), and I like fresh basil. Touch of Anchovy paste if you are bold. Nothing scientifically planned for backpacking, just tastes good, and works well with any meat you want to add.

Greg - yes. Right after boiling water and making pasta I'd say adding cheese to the pasta is probably one of the most basic elements of cooking. :-)

@ Donna, i wonder if that is because rice is easier to digest than wheat based stuff? I have a theory that a lot more people have issues with digesting gluten than most would think, even if they aren't true celiac as some are.

While rice based stuff doesn't give the energy or fullness that lasts, i find it's good for quick energy, like eating brown rice crackers before a more strenuous climb. Last time i was in the Whites (NH), i made the mistake of eating some things like cashews and other not so easy or quick to digest foods while hiking, and felt like crap when i was going up and down, up and down. One day, i decided to eat just a little amount of brown rice crackers--felt much better.

A classic pasta dish is pasta, olive oil, red pepper flakes, maybe some garlic and Parmesan cheese. It is delicious. But that isn't what one thinks of as "mac n' cheese" in cooking.A simple roux of olive oil or butter, flour and milk, seasoned with salt and pepper, maybe garlic, maybe mustard, hot sauce or whatever catches the fancy, and a ton of cheddar or similar cheese, folded in, and macaroni, now there is a classic dish. Go crazy, add in an egg for creaminess, maybe use heavy cream.....bake in the oven with buttery crumbs.Two totally different kinds of meals. ;-)

@Sarah...When's dinner??? Yes, a classic yummy dish. I'm going to experiment with the recipe you have with cheese powder that was linked to our site. I found an organic brand via Vitacost that has no MSG or extra chemicals. I may even add a little butter or ghee, which would work as well.

@Justin...you may be right. Recently I have given up lots of carbs, not quite a Paleo diet, but I need to alter that for hiking. I'm experimenting with protein powder on the trail too. I find I need morning protein to get me going. When in Glacier last year, I chomped on meat bar jerky for breakfast and that lasted a good protion of a long uphill day. I can use oatmeal, but the only kind for instant has to be no sugar or any other preservative and I find that works, surprisingly.

But a good trail mac and cheese is all I am looking for right now. Maybe what I need to do is after any rice meal, have a protien drink.